• Diamond League

Resurgent Bolt dominates in Stockholm

ESPN staff
July 29, 2011
Usain Bolt won by nearly half a second © Getty Images
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Triple Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt banished memories of his defeat in Stockholm last year by cruising to victory in the 200 metres at the Diamond League meeting.

Bolt, who was beaten by Tyson Gay in the 100m in 2010's Stockhom meet, claimed victory by nearly half a second with a time of 20.03. It was a face-saving victory for the Jamaican, who had guaranteed that he would cross the finish line first.

He surged into the lead early on, before peeling away from the field as he came off the bend, leaving Panama's Alonso Edwards a distant second - and showing blistering pace that confirmed his sluggish start to the season was little more than a blip.

Meanwhile, reigning world champion LaShawn Merritt finished second in the 400m in his first appearance for 21 months following a drugs ban. The 25-year-old tested positive for testosterone in October 2009 after taking an over-the-counter male enhancement product containing DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) and pregnenolone.

In Sweden he ran 44.74 to finish five hundredths behind Jamaica's Jermaine Gonzales. "I wanted to come out and get a good race in, knock a few cobwebs out," Merritt told BBC Sport afterwards. "I feel good physically - 44.7 in my first race, I can't complain.

"My mom and my team believed in me and they'll keep believing in me. I'm clean, and I want to thank the Stockholm meet directors for giving me a chance and believing in me."

Caster Semenya finished eighth in an 800m won by Kenia Sinclair.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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